Alexa Weber Morales is a Grammy Award-winning salsa jazz singer-songwriter noted for "her flamboyantly multilingual repertoire" and based in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

Biography

Born in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, and attending schools in Berkeley, San Francisco, France, Cuba and Oakland, Alexa Weber Morales's itinerant upbringing included living on a sailboat, a VW van and an artist commune. She credits her linguistic ability, which includes fluency in Spanish, French, Portuguese and her native English, to this eclectic and international past. She was studying classical piano by the age of five and gave her first solo vocal performance at a Malcolm X Elementary School concert featuring

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

. She briefly majored in languages at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

but dropped out in her second year. Returning to

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, she began working as a musician in churches,

Renaissance fair A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent the ...

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

s and other local venues, while surviving on varied jobs such as roofing, auto mechanics, carpentry, translation and secretarial work. Landing a position editing a Spanish-language trade magazine led to several trips to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and other South American countries, influencing her unique mix of salsa, jazz and Brazilian musical genres. After releasing her first and second albums, both produced by Wayne Wallace, she left the magazine to dedicate her time fully to a music career.

Recording career

Her debut album, produced by five-time Grammy Award Nominee Wayne "The Doctor" Wallace, was released in October 2004 on the label she founded, Crazy Monkey Productions. She signed to Wallace's own indie label, Patois Records, in 2007 and co-produced her next album, "Vagabundeo/Wanderings," with Wallace that year. In addition, she wrote lyrics and sang lead vocals for Wallace's "The Reckless Search for Beauty" in 2006. In subsequent years she had vocal credits on Wallace's "Infinity," "The Nature of the Beat" and "Bien! Bien." In 2011, Alexa Weber Morales joined the then-new 19-piece mambo/salsa band

Pacific Mambo Orchestra Pacific Mambo Orchestra is a Latin dance music orchestra based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their debut album was released in October 2012, and they received a Grammy Award for the album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. History The Pacific ...

. Leaving Patois Records, she launched a successful Kickstarter campaign and self-produced the all-original album "I Wanna Work For You." After assisting with Pacific Mambo Orchestra's successful 2012 Kickstarter effort, she recorded and composed for their eponymous debut album, which received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for the album at the

56th Annual Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid comp ...

. Controversy around the upset win by the indie orchestra over super stars such as

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A three-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Gra ...

and

Carlos Vives Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres ...

led to international press coverage.

Performing career

Her versatile voice and ample range have been described various ways: As an "ardent, throaty alto that soars effortlessly into a crystalline soprano register," "sensually soaring," "lush, rangey" and "boundary-busting," and "dark, creamy vocals". Alexa Weber Morales is also recognized for on-stage charisma honed by more than a decade of live performance at venues such as Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco, Yoshi's, the San Jose Jazz Festival and shows in Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Boston. She has opened for Lenny Williams (Tower of Power) and Average White Band. She joined Pacific Mambo Orchestra in 2011 because of its live performances Monday nights at Cafe Cocomo in San Francisco and soon became "the voice of the band." When Pacific Mambo Orchestra was signed to Columbia Artist Management in 2013, Alexa and the band toured US performing arts centers with special guests Tito Puente Jr., Marlow Rosado and Willy Torres.

Discography

''Jazzmérica'' (Crazy Monkey Productions, 2004)

# "But I'm Weak" by Alexa Weber Morales # "I Did It, I Live It" by Alexa Weber Morales and Wayne Wallace # "All Blues" originally by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

# "Les Feuilles Mortes/Autumn Leaves" by

Joseph Kosma Joseph Kosma (22 October 19057 August 1969) was a Hungarian-French composer. Biography Kosma was born József Kozma in Budapest, where his parents taught stenography and typing. He had a brother, Ákos. A maternal relative was the photographe ...

Jacques Prevert Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

and

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

# "Down in the Everglades" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Smile Please" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

# "Luz do Sol" by

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...

# "Mountains to Flatten" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Morning" by

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorate ...

# "Your Love" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Play That Song of Love and Rage" by Alexa Weber Morales

''Vagabundeo/Wanderings'' (Patois Records/Crazy Monkey Productions, 2007)

# "Habanera" by

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

# "Ave Rara" by

Edu Lobo Eduardo de Góes "Edu" Lobo (born August 29, 1943) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and composer. In the 1960s he was part of the bossa nova movement. His compositions include ''Upa Neguinho'' (with Gianfrancesco Guarnieri), ''Pra Dizer Ad ...

and

Aldir Blanc Aldir Blanc Mendes (2 September 1946 – 4 May 2020) was a Brazilian author of ''crônicas'' (journalistic vignettes, chronicles) and lyricist. He co-composed many songs with singer-songwriter João Bosco, guitarist Guinga, and others. Career ...

# "Calling You" by

Bob Telson Robert Eria Telson (born May 14, 1949) is an American composer, songwriter, and pianist best known for his work in musical theater and film, for which he has received Tony, Pulitzer, and Academy Award nominations. Biography Robert Eria Telson wa ...

# "El Cantante" by

Ruben Blades Reuben or Reuven is a Hebrew Bible, Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben (son of Jacob), Reuben was the Reuben (son of Jacob), firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include R� ...

# "Agua de Beber/Aguas de Marco" by

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

and

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

# "Her Ways Wander" by Alexa Weber Morales, Vince Mansel and Wayne Wallace # "The Goddess of War" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Así Es El Amor" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Angelitos Negros" by

Andrés Eloy Blanco Andrés Eloy Blanco Meaño (6 August 1896 – 21 May 1955) was a noted Venezuelan poet and politician. He was a member of the ''Generación del 28'', and one of the founders of Acción Democrática (AD). He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of ...

and Manuel Alvarez Maciste # "Tu Amor" by Alexa Weber Morales # "You Cry, I Dry Your Tears" by Alexa Weber Morales

''I Wanna Work For You'' (Crazy Monkey Productions, 2011)

# "I Wanna Work For You" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Quisiera Retroceder El Tiempo" by Alexa Weber Morales # "I'm Your Man" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Into the Stratosphere" by Alexa Weber Morales # "When the Night is Cool" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Catastrofe de Amor" by Alexa Weber Morales # "I Didn't Drill That Deep" by Alexa Weber Morales # "The Names of the Winds" by Alexa Weber Morales # "I Think of You" by Alexa Weber Morales # "Let's Not Ruin This Affair" by Alexa Weber Morales # "I Loves You Porgy" by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

Recording credits

Lead vocals, lyrics, co-composition: * "Bolero Cocomo" by Alexa Weber Morales and Aaron Lington, "Pacific Mambo Orchestra," Tumalan Music/Steff Records, 2012 * "Fallin'" by

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, "Proyecto Lando," Cabeza e' Comba Productions, 2009 * "Use Me" by

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

, "The Reckless Search for Beauty," Patois Records, 2006 * "Obatala/Afro Blue" by

Mongo Santamaria Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributa ...

, "The Reckless Search for Beauty," Patois Records, 2006 * "El Duende Africano" by Wayne Wallace, "The Reckless Search for Beauty," Patois Records, 2006 * "El Rio de Oro" by Wayne Wallace, "The Reckless Search for Beauty," Patois Records, 2006

Publications

In 2014, Alexa Weber Morales published the book ''Practice Secrets of the Pros: Motivation, Method and Memory for Musicians... and Other Athletes''.

Awards and nominations

* 2014

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

Award for "Best Tropical Latin Album" with

* 2011

Nomination for "Best Latin Jazz Album" with Wayne Wallace * 2011 Latin Jazz Corner Outer Edges Award for "I Wanna Work For You"

References

External links

Official website

Artist Biography
by Steve Leggett on AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Morales, Alexa Weber American salsa musicians Grammy Award winners Musicians from Oakland, California Latin jazz musicians Spanish-language singers of the United States Living people Singers from California Year of birth missing (living people)